


Clap Your Hands If You Believe

by Jenny Lynne (jenny_lynne)



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Investigations, M/M, Psychic Abilities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:22:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22026274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenny_lynne/pseuds/Jenny%20Lynne
Summary: Jensen, a skeptic, is researching so-called psychics who have supposedly helped law enforcement solve crimes. Jared might be the only one who can make him a believer.Gift for fridayblues (on livejournal)Thanks for the last minute beta go to Candygramme!
Relationships: Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki
Comments: 21
Kudos: 111





	Clap Your Hands If You Believe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fridayblues](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fridayblues/gifts).



As a kid, Jensen loved stories about the unexplained. He just devoured everything he could from Bigfoot to Atlantis to Ancient Aliens to the Bermuda Triangle. He got it wherever he could -- books, magazines,  _ World Wide News _ , online zines.

But as he grew older, he began to realize that all the articles and stories were just that -- stories. The problem with the unexplained was that there was no actual evidence. The stories never cited references except each other. In many cases, many of the stories about ghosts, psychics, and UFOs had been debunked by the likes of James Randi and the writers of  _ Skeptics Inquirer _ . It wasn't long before he was a card-carrying skeptic too. Not a true disbeliever, mind you. Just a questioner, a doubter, a seeker of the truth.

He was working on his Masters degree in Parapsychology from Duke University under the direction of Professor Samantha Ferris. She had handed him a stack of possible case studies on psychics working with law enforcement four months ago and he was finally down to the last one. So far, all of the cases had been as he expected. None of the "psychics" had given any information that had actually led to any arrests, and pretty much all of them were so general in their predictions that they only seemed to fit after the fact.

They would say things like "The murderer's name has an 'e' or an 'o' in it" or "the body is near water"-- which, hey, that could be a river, a lake, a puddle -- you get the drift. Basically, they weren't any different from the fakes who set up Tarot booths in the French Quarter or who read palms.

Jensen isn't expecting the last case to be any different but he has to do his due diligence. Which is how he ends up here in a town of less than 800 in semi-rural nowhere at 10:30pm on a Sunday.

As he is checking into the River Road Inn, he asks the lady behind the desk if there was anywhere nearby where he could grab a quick bite.

Wearing a motherly expression, despite not being much older than him, she says, "Oh, sweetie, everything closes down by nine around here. Even earlier on Sundays."

Exhausted and hungry, Jensen just lets his chin drop to his chest with a loud sigh. Just his luck.

"Wait a sec. I might be able to fix you up." She picks up the rotary phone -- really, a rotary phone. Most people don't even know what those are. She spun the dial quicker than most people can punch a number in a cell phone. "Jay! Hey, Brianna." She listened for a moment and laughed. "You know me so well. Anyway, I got another favor to ask...I got a guy here who just dragged himself in and he looks about to pass out on his feet but his stomach's rumbling so loud I expect you might hear it over there."

Jensen watches her with a strange fascination like he was wondering if he might have stepped into  _ The Twilight Zone _ . He had no idea people talked like that in real life.

She looks up and catches him staring, but just smiles. "He says if you like tuna salad, you can just hop right on over and he'll fix you up."

Jensen glances out the window to the diner across the street. The "Closed" sign is hanging in the door and most of the lights are off. "I don't want to be a bother."

She tilts her head as she listens to the other end. "He says he's making 'em anyway and it's just as easy to make three as two."

Jensen quirks an eyebrow. "Three?"

"Ya, you just gotta bring mine when you come back -- oh, and pie. Jay, you got any of that strawberry pie left? Oh, you are my bestest friend in the world for the next day." She laughs. She gives Jensen a quizzical look and a shooing motion while saying "good-bye" to this Jay person.

Jensen just shrugs and heads across the street to Zelda's Diner. He guesses Jay's not the owner. He pulls on the door and it opens easily even though he never saw anyone come to unlock it.

"Hello?" he calls.

"In the kitchen," a voice replies.

Of course in the kitchen. It's the only light on. 

When Jensen steps into the kitchen he almost trips on his own feet. Standing at the counter is the most gorgeous man he's ever seen. Shoulder-length chestnut hair falling in soft waves and long bangs falling almost into his eyes. He has a light tan and a few little moles on his face that give him character. He's wearing a tight black t-shirt which puts his well-defined chest and abs on display while exposing arm muscles that give Jensen naughty thoughts of being good and well manhandled.

Jensen suddenly realizes the guy -- Jay -- is staring at him with an amused but quizzical expression. "I - uh - hi."

Jay smiles -- and, oh God, dimples! "Hey." He wipes his hands on the apron wrapped around his waist and holds one out. "I'm Jay."

"Jensen." Jensen wipes his own hand on his jeans before shaking Jay's, because suddenly his palms are sweaty.

Jay studies him a minute like he's trying to make a decision. "Ackles, right?"

Jensen feels the hairs on the back of his neck rise as a chill runs down his back. "Excuse me?"

"Jensen is a pretty unusual name. I can't imagine there'd be two coming to town in the same week. So you must be Jensen Ackles. My mom told me you were coming. I'm Jared Padalecki."

Jensen is caught off-guard. Jared Padalecki. He had intended to do some research in town before actually meeting up with the so-called clairvoyant. What were the odds of him running into the man before he'd been in town a whole hour.

"I -uh- " is all he can think to say which is totally smooth.

Jared shrugs. "What do you want on your sandwich?" He goes back to adding lettuce and tomatoes to two of the sandwiches.

Jensen glances at the sandwiches. "Um. Whatever you're having. Sorry. You just surprised me. I hadn't expected to meet with you until later this week."

Jared shrugs one shoulder and continues making the sandwiches without looking up. "Yeah, I figured. Though I don't know what the big deal is." Jared folds the sandwiches in butcher's paper and goes to one of the large refrigerators to pull out pie. "You want some pie? We got strawberry and apple left today. Aunt Zelda makes the best pies in town," he says almost seductively.

Jensen doesn't have to be convinced on pie. "Apple would be good, thanks."

Jared nods and takes three take-out containers from the shelf and sets about cutting slices and dishing them out.

"So...you're not interested in talking about how you helped the police solve cases?" Jensen asks with curiosity. Almost every one of the so-called psychics he met couldn't wait to share their stories and brag about how great they were.

Jared shakes his head with an embarrassed smile. "Why would I?"

Jensen hums thoughtfully.

Having put everything away and cleaned up, Jared hands him two sandwiches, two pie containers and some plastic-ware. "Do you want a drink to go with that too?"

"No, thanks. I picked up a six-pack a few towns back."

Jared nods, takes off the apron, and gathers his own sandwich and container. "Okay. Well, I hate to ditch you, but I have to get up early to help my cousin at her store."

"Oh, no, thanks. I mean, really. Thank you. You saved me having to buy out the vending machine at the hotel."

"Jokes on you. Brianna doesn't have a vending machine," Jared grins.

"Oh, then you really saved me." Jensen follows Jared out the door. 

Jared juggles his food while he locks up the diner. He turns back to Jensen and there's this awkward moment. "It's nice to meet you, Jensen. I guess I'll be seeing you later." It almost seems like he wanted to say something different.

Jensen feels the same way he had that first time he walked up to Mandy Sinclair home, standing on her front porch. That awkward moment when you want to kiss but you're afraid of rejection. Not to mention, Jared is a case study. He can't afford to get emotionally involved. Then there's the fact that in a small town like this, Jared is probably the straightest of the straight, good ole boys, and he'd probably punch Jensen if he even tried.

"Yeah, I'll call you to set up something?" Jensen says.

"Yeah, but I'm sure we'll run into each other before that." Jared gives him one last smile and heads over to a large, rusty truck, the only vehicle in the parking lot.

Jensen takes a moment to admire his case study's fine ass before turning and heading back across the street.

***

When Jensen drops in for breakfast the next morning, the first person he sees is Zelda. He doesn't need to be introduced because the woman just strikes him immediately as a Zelda. She is dressed in an apron, flowing pants, a peasant blouse, a scarf in her gray-streaked chestnut hair, and perhaps a dozen necklaces of beads and chains with one crystal hanging at her neck. Her cheek has a stripe of flour. She personifies flair and charm as she flits from one person to the other.

When she catches sight of him, she smiles broadly and Jensen realizes she really is Jared's aunt. "You must be Jensen."

Jensen is again flustered. "Do I have my name tattooed on my forehead?"

With a chuckle, she gestures for him to sit at the counter. "This the first time you've been in a small town?"

Nodding, Jensen sits on one of the stools as she slips behind the counter and sets a coffee mug in front of him. "This small? Yeah."

"Well, news travels fast here. Plus, you're Brianna's only guest right now." She pours his coffee and doesn't offer milk or sugar, which is fine. He prefers his coffee undefiled.

"Okay," he says and begins to look for a menu.

"Hey, Jim! Need an eggs up special!"

"On it!" a voice replies from the back.

"Uh-" Jensen starts.

She smiles and says, "Trust me."

"O...kay."

"So...you're here to do what? Interview Jay?"

Jensen feels a little uncomfortable all of a sudden and he doesn't know why. He's never been shy or ashamed going about his research. He just gets the feeling that he's somehow intruding where he shouldn't be. He shakes it off as the unusual circumstances of having met his case study before he was ready.

"Yeah. Yes. I'm researching cases of psychics helping law enforcement."

She nods as her face takes on a more serious expression. "I see."

"Maybe I can interview you to get some background -- you know, family history and stuff."

She studies him with the same expression Jared wore the night before as if she were making up her mind about something. Finally she nods once. "You know, my family came over from Poland in 1939, two months before the Nazi's invaded. My great-grandmother made my great-grandaddy bring the whole family. Just left their whole lives behind and settled here."

Jensen took a sip of the best coffee he'd ever had, even better than Starbucks. "You believe she somehow knew?"

"It's not a matter of believing."

"So you think being psychic is genetic?"

She half-shrugged.

"My sister Talia, Jay's mother -- once when we were teenagers, she woke in the middle of the night and just went tearing down the street in her nightgown and bare feet. We shared a room and I was so alarmed I chased after her. I found her banging on the door of a house halfway down the block. She woke up everyone inside just in time for them to realize a fire had started in the kitchen. Everyone got out safe but the house burned to the ground."

Jensen feels the tiny hairs on the back of his neck rise, but he shakes it off. There are reasonable explanations for both stories. The first one just has to be a coincidence or maybe the family became alarmed by the political climate in Europe at the time. The second is harder but Jay's mother probably just has a sensitive sense of smell. Some people do have heightened senses.

"And you?" Jensen asks, schooling his expression. A waitress, Sandy, sets his plate in front of him and it smells and looks delicious. Fried eggs, toast, sausage, and hashbrowns. It's exactly what he wanted. He thanks her and turns back to Zelda.

"Me? No. I'm just more intuitive than most," she smiles. "Enjoy your breakfast, Jensen." She wanders off to talk to some regulars.

***

Jensen takes the rest of the morning to have a look around town. It's not quaint like one of those Hallmark Christmas movies but it is charming. There's a bowling alley next to the library and a small mom-and-pop grocery. There's two gas stations but one is attached to an autoshop. There are no fast food places but there are about five different places to eat, including a food truck in the park. The Feed and Seed store is on the edge of town. There's even a flower shop that also advertises itself as an apothecary. He even spies Jared setting flower pots out on a display in front.

***

Jensen meets with Sheriff Kim Rhodes in the afternoon. She's tall and lithe with a salt-and-pepper pixie cut. She has a bit of a swagger that fits her take-charge persona. He likes her immediately even though he's a little intimidated by her as well.

She offers him some coffee or water as he joins her in his office, but he politely declines. "Just as well. The coffee's for shit here," she says with a smile.

Jensen chuckles.

She sits behind her desk and gestures for him to sit in one of the chairs on the other side. That's when her expression turns serious. "So, Jensen. Just so you know, I know you've got copies of the police file. The only reason I agreed to talk to you is because the family and Jay said it was okay."

Jensen nodded. "I appreciate it, ma'am; I do."

"But you better walk on eggshells. Particularly with the family. I don't want anyone upset unnecessarily," she says.

"No, ma'am. I would never dream of it. I'm just here to get the details as they relate to Jared and his predictions."

She studies him a moment. It's that same look he got from Zelda that morning like she's judging whether he can be trusted. Finally, she nods. "So, I can answer any questions you have on the Missy Wheeler case. I was a deputy then but I was there for most of it."

"That's fine. I mainly want to talk to eyewitnesses."

She nods. "I figured."

Jensen pulled a small tape recorder out of his messenger bag. "Do you mind if I record this?"

"Nope. I'm gonna treat this like any interview with a reporter. When I say 'off the record', I expect it to be, all right?"

Jensen nods and turns on the recorder. He states his name, who he's interviewing, and the date and time. He asked the sheriff a few questions to set the stage so to speak on the Missy Wheeler case. He's already read the police file and news articles through several times so he is familiar with it.

Allegedly, Missy and her husband had a fight late one night and in a fit of anger, she drove off in her car, leaving her husband and her baby behind. It was three days later when her parents reported her missing. When asked why he hadn't reported it himself, her husband claimed she ran off all the time and always came back in a few days or a week. Her parents insisted she'd never leave her baby and that she always came to stay with them when she was fighting with him. On the fifth day, her family called Talia Padalecki for help.

"Talia, Jay's mother, had helped on a few missing cases back when Williams was sheriff. So, I guess he knew what to expect, because he brought me to make a recording of everything."

"There's a recording?" Jensen inquires while making a note to ask Professor Ferris why Talia hadn't been included in an investigation. "What kind? Voice? Video?"

"There's a voice recording and my notes," she says, retrieving a plain envelope from a desk drawer and offering it to him. "I had a deputy make a copy for you."

"Thanks." Jensen takes the envelope and peeks inside to see a CD and some photocopies. He can't believe his luck. "Okay. So...Talia...Mrs. Padalecki was supposed to be the one giving the reading or whatever. How did it end up being Jared?"

"It was the damnedest thing I ever saw before or since. It was Missy's parents, me and Williams, Zelda and Talia plus Jared. He was just there to give his mother a ride, I guess. Zelda and Talia were sitting with the family talking about Missy when all of a sudden there's this sound of shattering glass and we all look up and there's Jay, laying on the floor like he's having a seizure or something. He starts grabbing at his neck and acting like he's choking. Williams told me to call for an ambulance, but before I could, Zelda was telling me not to. She and Talia were kneeling next to Jay and this broken glass from Missy's high school picture frame." She pauses to take a sip of coffee.

Jensen waits patiently for her to continue. She looks a little shaken even after six years.

"Anyway, Talia was whispering things to Jay and Zelda was telling people not to touch him, but I was getting worried because the kid was kind of turning blue, you know? Suddenly, he just stops and lays still and his breathing returns to normal...he was unconscious for another few minutes but Talia kept assuring everyone that he was okay and Williams seemed to have calmed down about it so I just decided to go with the flow."

"And when he woke up?" Jensen asks.

"Jay was shaken up but he answered Talia's and Williams' questions. He said she had been strangled by someone with calloused hands. He said he saw a red car and something to do with a 15 or a 51 but her body wasn't near it. Instead he saw a white van and something to do with brothers. He said she was near the river with her head pointed toward it and she was somewhere her killer could see her everyday."

"He said all of that specifically? You don't think you're retconning any of it?"

She shakes her head. "Listen to the tape."

"And how did you use any of that to catch the killer?"

"Well, first we found the car, her red Hondai, 51 miles North out of town hidden behind some overgrowth on the side of the road. There was no trace of her, but the front seat was pushed way back like someone much taller had been driving, and the steering wheel was wiped clean. The keys had been left in the ignition as if encouraging someone to take it.

"Then we looked at the husband. His brother owned a white van, but we didn't have any evidence that could get us a search warrant. Still, Williams thought we were on the right track. So we had a few unmarked cars follow both of them around. Thing is they both worked at this mill on the river and every day at lunch the husband would sit outside in the same spot overlooking a field adjacent to the mill. So we waited until he and his brother weren't at work and we took cadaver dogs out there and sure enough, there she was, buried with her head toward the river. Just like Jay said. The autopsy indicated she was strangled. A double check of the brother's alibi showed he wasn't where he said he was. He flipped on his brother in the end.

"Turns out Missy and her husband got into a big fight and he was high. One thing led to another and he strangled her. Then his brother helped him cover it up and hide the body and the car to make it look like she just left him."

Jensen knows the facts of the case. Though he is intrigued by how the supposed prediction led the direction of the case. He would have to listen to the tape but at this point, he still suspects it was retconned somehow. Many of those facts were easily guessed based on statistics. Who knows what other incorrect predictions are on the CD?

Jensen thanks her for her time and makes sure he can contact her with follow up questions before leaving.

***

He's anxious to start transcribing his meeting with the sheriff and listen to the CD, but he skipped lunch earlier. He considers trying another of the town's restaurants or delis but Zelda's is so convenient to his hotel. So, he finds an empty booth in the corner.

A red-head in her mid-twenties with her long hair pulled into a ponytail sashays up to his table and sets out his silverware and a glass of water, but holds onto a menu. "So, you must be Jensen," she smiles sweetly. Her name tag says "Dani" and she's got that wholesome girl-next-door look that he could go for if he wasn't so interested in that wholesome boy-next-door look.

He's gotten used to everyone knowing who he is now. "The one and only, I guess," he gives her his best charming smile.

"You guess? You're not sure?" she teases.

He gives her a one-shoulder shrug and says, "Well, I was told last night that there couldn't be two Jensens in town in the same week, so I must be the one and only."

She huffs a laugh. "Funny." She sets the menu in front of him. "So, pecan and cherry are our pie specials today."

Jensen nods thoughtfully. "I will keep that in mind."

"I'll give you a few to check out the menu." With a smile, she sashays away.

"Dani! My bestest friend in the whole world!" a voice calls as the door shut.

Jensen looks up in time to see Jared lift Dani up by the waist and twirling her around. She laughs and smacks him half-heartedly on the shoulder.

"Put me down, you oaf!" she says.

He sets her back on her feet with a wide dimpled grin. "I am so glad to see you."

"Uh-uh." She shakes her head and pushes him away. "Zelda said not to give you any pie or milkshakes or any other dessert."

Jared pouts and Jensen should not think that's as adorable as he does.

"She knows you raided the fridge last night," she admonishes.

Jared hangs his head. "It was the three slices of pie that gave it away, isn't it?"

" _ Three _ ? Geez, Jay!"

"Hey! They weren't all for me," he argues and catches Jensen's eyes and winks. He looks entirely too mischievous for someone his age.

Jensen can't help the smile that spreads across his own face.

"Mmm-hmmm," she says with disbelief.

Jared sighs. "Okay, fine. I'll have my Monday usual."

"Fine." She heads for the kitchen.

Jared walks over to Jensen's booth. "Can I join you?"

Jensen hesitates. He's supposed to be keeping his distance for objectivity-sake.

"C'mon. You gotta eat. I gotta eat. We might as well eat together. We'll just avoid shop talk," Jared says.

Jensen nods. "Sure." He gestures to the opposite bench.

Jared slides into the booth with a pleased look on his gorgeous face. "So, you finding everything around town easily?"

Jensen nods. "Yeah. I can't imagine anyone getting lost here."

Jared smirks. "I bet you'd change your mind if you tried to find any farm out in the boonies after dark."

"I got GPS."

"Yeah, we're really too far out for Google Maps to care. Most of the roads are dirt and not all of them are marked and outside of town there aren't street lights."

"Huh." Jensen thinks maybe he fell into  _ The Twilight Zone _ , because no way there are really places still like this in this day and age.

Dani shows up just then to get Jensen's order and set some silverware out for Jared. She flirts shamelessly with both of them and Jared jokingly tells her to stop trying to convince Jensen she's so sweet before teasingly telling Jensen she used to beat him up in kindergarten. She just sticks her tongue out at him and tells him he deserved it for being a boy.

Once she left, the conversation flows surprisingly easy between them for two people who'd only just met. Jensen has friends he'd known his whole life who he hadn't clicked so effortlessly with. 

They talk about their families. Jensen has an older brother, who is a newly married surgeon, and a younger sister in pre-law. His parents still live in Richardson, Tx, in the same house they grew up in, though all the kids are spread out across the country.

Jared also has an older half-brother who lives in Maryland and works as an environmental lobbyist in D.C. His father has an apartment in San Antonio, TX, but he's a cross-country trucker so he's hardly ever there. When he'd been a kid, Jared had spent some vacations with him down there, but mostly he's just kept local even though he's always wanted to travel. Jared himself has never been to college but he writes cozy mysteries under the name "J. Tristan", which makes him enough to pay what bills he has. He practically has no bills, apparently, since he lives for free above his aunt's garage and pretty much eats for free in the diner in exchange for occasionally helping out there, and in his cousin's shop and another cousin during harvest time on his farm. Jared seems too good to be true.

When Jensen asks why Jared doesn't show up on any Google searches except about the Missy Wheeler story, Jared just shrugs and says he's never been interested in social media. His publisher handles all of that for his pen name anyway. Jensen finds all of that odd but then this whole town is odd.

And Jared apparently knows everyone in town because everyone who came in stopped to say "hi" as well as to scope out the "new guy".

They talk about music and sports. Jensen hasn't had much time for books while in school but Jared must have read the entire library. While Jensen has the bacon burger and fries, Jared has meatloaf and mashed potatoes with green beans. 

When Jensen teases him about his well-balanced meal, Jared looks sheepish and says, "I'm told you can't live on burgers alone, and Aunt Zelda makes sure I don't."

"You'd think she was your mother," Jensen jokes and immediately regrets it when he sees the smile fall from Jared's face.

"Yeah," Jared says softly. "I guess she overcompensates. She's been that way since my mom died."

Jensen swallows. "I'm sorry," he says gently.

Jared shakes his head. "It's okay. You didn't know. Most people don't really bring her up around me. I really don't mind talking about her. She was an amazing mom."

"You were close?" Though it's not really a question.

Jared nods. "Jeff is really more like his dad, but Mom and I...we just had a special connection."

"What happened?" Jensen asks and then decides that's rude. "You don't have to say. I'm sorry I'm just nosy."

Jared gives him a small smile. "No, it's okay. It's not a secret or anything." He pauses like he's deciding what exactly what to say. "She had an aneurysm. Just collapsed. They said she didn't feel any pain."

"Were there signs something like that might happen?" Jensen asks, knowing he shouldn't.

"She suffered from migraines her whole life. They never found a reason, but they usually were triggered…" Jared trails off. "You know, this is kind of crossing into 'shop talk' and we agreed not to go there tonight."

Jensen thinks about that, about what the sheriff and Zelda said about Talia Padalecki. He frowns a little wanting to ask more, but instead he agrees with Jared. "Yeah and this is kind of heavy anyway."

Jared nods. 

Fortunately, Dani arrives with Jensen's cherry pie and after she leaves, he offers half of it to Jared since she refuses to bring him any. Jared laughs and tells him, he really doesn't need all that sugar.

They fall back into easy banter then and end up staying long after the dinner crowd is gone. 

Afterwards, they meander across the street to the motel and Jared asks Jensen if he has someone waiting for him back in North Carolina.

Jensen shakes his head. "No. I haven't had time for that with school and all. What about you? You and Dani maybe?" If he were to admit it to himself, he feels a little jealousy about how easy they are with each other. There's no reason for it. He's just met Jared and after this week, they'll probably never see each other again.

Jared hums a second before answering. "Dani's boyfriend is stationed over in Syria. Besides she's not my type."

Jensen nods quietly, "If  _ she _ 's not your type, who is?" He finally asks finding it hard to believe Dani wasn't the wet dream of every all-American small-town boy.

Jared gives him a small smile. "Brad Pitt? Maybe that guy on that monster-hunting show." He says it with confidence like he's unafraid of what Jensen might think and that's actually what impresses Jensen the most.

"Oh- uh. Me too," Jensen says with a little less confidence and a lot more fluster.

Jared flashes those dimples at him almost as if to say he already knows.

"This is where I get off," Jared says and Jensen looks around to see they've reached the door to the motel lobby. Jared is standing surprisingly close and Jensen is reminded of those teenage years awkwardly walking someone to the door and hoping for a kiss.

"Oh, uh...well, I had a nice time. Thanks for not letting me eat alone."

Jared just chuckles. "It would be bad manners if I had. My mom taught me better."

Jensen smiles. "Wouldn't want you to have bad manners then."

Jensen thinks Jared looks like he might lean in and kiss him. He thinks he might like that too even though it would be highly unprofessional. However, Jared doesn't to his surprising disappointment.

Jared clasps a friendly hand on his shoulder and says, "Night, Jensen." Then he's on his way to his truck in the diner parking lot.

Jensen watches him go with a small frown.

***

Jensen spends the next morning transcribing his recording of his interview with Sheriff Rhodes. He's anxious to get that done because he really wants to hear the recording from six years ago.

After a quick take-out sandwich, he starts listening to the CD. The beginning is pretty usual for the start of a clairvoyant session. Zelda and the woman Jensen assumes is Jared's mother comforted Missy's parents. Talia explained to them how she worked, how she might not get anything, and how what she does get might not be what they want to hear. She asked if they were sure they wanted her to continue.

They never got the chance to answer. Just as the sheriff said, there was a loud crash -- the sound of breaking glass -- and a thud which sounded like someone falling. There was a lot of commotion, so many people talking and yelling at once, that it was hard to understand it all, but what he  _ could _ clearly make out was the eerie choking sound coming from Jared.

Once everyone calmed down, Jared was helped into a chair and handed a cold soda and some pain pills. Zelda insisted everyone speak quietly while Talia fussed over her son. Whenever he spoke, Jared sounded as if just doing so was a fight through agonizing pain. Talia softly asked Jared questions.

Everything Sheriff Rhodes told him the day before about the event is spot on. Everything she claimed Jared said is there on the recording, and unlike most psychic predictions, Jared predicted no red herrings, nothing that could be conveniently forgotten as pieces that didn't fit the puzzle. This is highly unusual, an anomaly. Jensen's never read or heard such a precise prediction.

He listens several times, reads the transcript, runs it through software to test for inconsistencies that could suggest it had been doctored. After several hours, he's feeling antsy. His brain hurts as he tries to find explanations for everything Jared said, how he seemed to know the things he did.

Missy Wheeler was six years older than Jared and she had grown up in a different town. They hadn't gone to school together and their circle of friends were different age groups. Maybe he'd seen her in town, maybe driving her red car. Maybe he knew her husband's brother drove a white van. Lot of maybes. He had been specific about where her body was, placing it at the river and not any of the small lakes in the area, whereas, most psychics are more general using "body of water".

Jensen is rubbing his temples trying to work out all the rational explanations and just getting a headache instead. He's interrupted by a knock at the hotel room door. He has no idea who it can be but he's grateful for the distraction.

Jensen pulls the door open. 

"Hi." Jared stands on the other side flashing those damned dimples. He's looking good in tight faded jeans and a light blue t-shirt stretched across that well-defined chest. He stuffs his hands in his pockets, making him look almost shy.

"Hi." Jensen smiles and tries not to let his eyes linger too long on anywhere but Jared's face. Even then, he has to struggle not to focus on those soft-looking pink lips.

"Bri says you've barely been out of your room all day."

Jensen checks his watch and realizes it's after five. "Huh. I lose track of time when I'm working sometimes."

"Good thing I'm here to save you then," Jared says.

Jensen quirks an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yup. C'mon. I want to show you something." Jared tilts his head down the hall toward the exit.

Jensen pauses, considers how spending another evening with Jared is probably a bad idea. So, of course, he says, "Sure, let me grab my keys." He heads over to the dresser and realizes his keys aren't there. He pats down his pockets and checks the table where he's been working all day.

"They're between the bed and the nightstand."

Jensen turns to look at Jared. Though he's looking down at his shoes, Jared hasn't moved, not even to shift his weight from one foot to the other. He heads toward the nightstand nearest the door.

"Other side," Jared says.

Feeling the hair on the back of his neck rise, Jensen pauses before moving around the bed to the other side. Sure enough the keys have fallen between the bed and the nightstand. He remembers now tossing them toward the nightstand when he returned from lunch. However, there's no way Jared could possibly see them from the door. Jensen picks them up.

"How'd you know?" Jensen asks, watching Jared.

Jared shrugs and meets Jensen's eyes. "Ready?"

Realizing he's not getting an answer, Jensen sighs and heads for the door.

***

Jared drives them toward the library. Jensen is surprised to find so many cars parked around the library so late in the day. It seems like half the town is there. Jared finds a spot for his own truck.

"What's going on?" Jensen asks as he watches people carrying blankets and lawn chairs and walking toward the park next to the library.

Jared grins. "You'll see." He pulls a couple of blankets and a small cooler out of the truck bed.

They join a crowd in the park. Everyone is finding places to sit. Jensen realizes they're all facing the library. As they make their way through the staked out spaces, Jared has to stop every few steps to greet everyone, which also included introducing Jensen. By now, Jensen is not surprised by how many people already know who he is. He's definitely figured out this whole small town thing.

"Here should be good," Jared says. He lays out their blankets.

"Good for what exactly?" Jensen asks.

"The movie." Jared sits down and gestures for Jensen to join him.

"Movie?" Jensen sits. He has the brief uneasy thought that this is starting to feel like a date, but he squashes it immediately. He knows he should put a stop to it, but he genuinely likes Jared and he has so few people in his life that he's clicked with so easily and fast.

Jared nods as he fishes out some sandwiches and sodas from the cooler. "The town shows old movies projected on the library wall every Tuesday April through October, weather permitting. Tonight's is  _ The Sixth Sense _ ."

Incredulous, Jensen blinks at Jared.

Jared offers a mischievous smile as he holds up the sandwiches. "Ham and cheese or Roast beef and Swiss?"

Jensen laughs and chooses a sandwich and takes a drink.

As they wait for the movie, a few of Jared's friends drop by. Most are really friendly, but a couple make no secret they are suspicious of Jensen's intentions as far as his study is concerned. Jensen can understand why they're so protective.

All in all, Jensen enjoys the evening and is sorry when Jared drives him back to the hotel.

Again, the only time things get awkward is as they are parting ways. Jensen has that moment of deja vu where he feels there should be a good night kiss. It just feels wrong when he heads into the hotel alone.

*** 

When Jensen wakes up on Wednesday, he tries to ignore the very intense wet dream he was having involving Jared. He really needs to distance himself from the man. He is really going to have trouble with objectivity if he doesn't. And Jared already already confuses him enough without that complication. He's really unlike any of the professed psychics Jensen's met before, genuinely unpretentious and almost embarrassed by any talk regarding any possible powers he has.

So, Jensen decides to continue on as planned. He visits the Suttons, Missy's parents, in the morning one town over. He is as compassionate as possible. He gets the entire backstory about Missy and her husband as well as everything that happened, from her disappearance, to when her husband went to jail. He asks very specific questions regarding the day they met Jared. Again, their descriptions of Jared's choking trance, how he grabbed at hands on his neck that were not there, the things he said he'd "seen". They have no doubt in Jared's abilities. Though they wish Missy hadn't died at all, they are grateful she got justice because of him.

At breakfast, Sandy had given him a packed lunch to eat on the road because Zelda was worried he'd skip lunch otherwise. So, he eats in the town park there before he visits the former sheriff. Williams is a gruff, African American man. Jensen has never met anyone who fits the description of curmudgeon before, but if anyone is one, it's Williams. Despite that or maybe because of it, Jensen likes him right away.

Jensen spends a lot longer with Williams, who has all sorts of stories to tell about the Padaleckis, most especially Talia and Zelda. Jensen thinks he favors Zelda though he doubts the man would admit it. He talks about how Talia helped on a number of police cases, mostly missing persons. Really, there's not a lot of true mysterious crimes in small towns because most people know most everyone. She owned the flower shop/apothecary Jared's cousin now owns and she did a lot of homeopathy. It got so more people went to her for treatment than the local doctor and pharmacy.

When Williams does finally get to the Missy Wheeler case, he's dead serious. He's more descriptive than Sheriff Rhodes was, much more detailed. He describes how sick Jared was after, compares it to how Talia sometimes would get, but she was more powerful and experienced. Williams got the impression Jared never had such a potent vision before, but also that Talia had been preparing him for the possibility.

Mostly, Jensen comes away with yet another corresponding account with only slightly different remembered details. Nothing major, just different.

He gets back to the hotel after 6 p.m. and finds Jared leaning on the counter talking to Brianna. When Jared sees him, his entire face lights up with those dangerous dimples displayed. Both of them greet him.

"Hey," Jensen says with a smile to both of them, but mostly for Jared. He secretly has been hoping the day wouldn't pass by without seeing the man. He's come to look forward to seeing him and isn't that going to suck when he leaves at the end of the week? "Were you just flirting with your girlfriend here or are you here for some other reason?"

"What? I can't be here for both?" Jared says with a wink at Brianna, who giggles.

"Okay, I'm missing  _ Wheel of Fortune _ , so you two will have to excuse me," Brianna says.

"Was it something I said?" Jensen jokes.

"No, I just like to see what Vanna's wearing," she says.

They say goodbye to her and then they are left with just each other.

"So, I bet you haven't had dinner," Jared says.

Jensen shakes his head. "I just got back from seeing Sheriff Williams."

"Long winded, isn't he?" Jared says.

Jensen nods.

"But he has a lot of good stories," Jared adds.

"Yeah, and he seems to be sweet on your aunt," Jensen adds.

Jared looks momentarily surprised. "I thought I was the only one!"

They both laugh.

"Anyway," Jared says, "stash your stuff. We're going to Chris' bar. I promise he'll feed you."

"Chris, the grumpy guy from last night?" Jensen asks.

"Yeah, he grows on you," Jared says. "I'll wait in the truck." He doesn't even wait for an answer, just heads outside.

Jensen is torn. He knows better. He's repeatedly told himself what he  _ should _ do. But he can't seem to help himself. There's no point in arguing. So after he dumps his notebook and recorder in his room, he meets Jared at the truck.

They drive to The Tipsy Cow on the edge of town. It's Wednesday so there are only a few regulars. It's a simple bar -- wood floors, wood stools with iron-welded backs and legs, scattered tables with mismatched chairs, a jukebox, and a polished bar.

Chris is shorter than both of them as they are both over 6'. He wears his dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. He has stormy, light blue eyes and an expression like a bulldog. He's also one of those friends who did not seem to like Jensen.

Somehow Jared seems to smooth things over with Chris because before Jensen knows it, they have two plates of wings and a large onion bloom. Listening to Jimmy Buffet, Jensen is drinking beer and Jared has a soda.

"No beer?" Jesen asks.

Jared shakes his head. "Alcohol is not my friend."

Jensen wants to ask more but he's worried it's too personal. Jared saves him from the dilemma.

"It triggers migraines...and other things."

"Other things?" Jensen says before he can stop himself.

Jared hesitates. "That gets into a murky area. We agreed not to talk shop, remember?"

Now Jensen is really curious. He hums in response while he wars with himself. "Maybe we could discuss it in terms of theory?"

Jared considers that. "Okay."

"Okay? So, what about alcohol is related to psychic abilities, do you think?" he adds on the last part to emphasize the tenuous concept of theory.

Jared seems to choose his words carefully. "So, historically, in many cultures, clairvoyants and the like have used various drugs and alcohol to enhance their abilities. You know open their minds further to whatever gifts they had, whether they believed they came from gods or spirits or whatever."

Jensen nods because, yes, he has a whole textbook on the beliefs of different cultures throughout history. "You think those methods work?"

"Well, many people who use various drugs do have visions of some sort. Whether they are clairvoyant in some way only they can really say. Though I somehow doubt that's the case for most people. My guess is if they're really psychic-type dreams, they must have some ability for it."

Jensen pursed his lips. He's never met anyone whose drug-induced visions made any sense, but there were plenty of stories in various books about oracles and seers of various sorts. None of them scientific studies. "And the alcohol?"

"Some people think it opens the mind. Think of your mind having a firewall like a computer. Alcohol is the switch that lowers that firewall. And, you know, if you have the clairvoyant hardware installed, certain data can be decoded into visions," Jared says.

Jensen laughs lightly. "I've never heard it put that way before."

Jared just shrugs.

Jensen sits back and considers how all of this "theory" connects to Jared. Since he doesn't drink alcohol, does he believe it does in fact enhance his supposed abilities? The problem Jensen struggles with here is that he's both a skeptic and a cynic, but he also wants to believe. He wants someone to prove him wrong, but that's the problem. He needs indisputable proof. So far, Jared's case has come the closest.

"Have you ever heard of anyone who uses alcohol for that?" Jesen asks.

With a huff of a laugh, Jared tilts his head as he looks at Jensen. "What? You think all clairvoyants know each other?"

Jensen blushes and stammers, "Uh -no- um - I didn't mean-"

Jared laughs. "I was kidding, Jen. Mostly."

Jensen takes a deep breath. "Oh, okay." He offers a small smile.

"I did know someone who did," Jared says more seriously.

Jensen bites his lip to keep from asking.

Jared seems distracted for a moment. Jensen even imagines Jared might be focused on his lips.

"My mother and my grandmother used alcohol sometimes when they were struggling with something in particular. Not every day stuff, mind you, but serious stuff like missing people or really sick people who can't be diagnosed locally."

Jensen wishes he was recording this and he knows that's wrong. That is why they decided not to discuss this subject outside of Jared's interview tomorrow. "Everything I've heard about your mother, I would have liked to have met her. She must have been interesting to grow up with."

Biting his bottom lip, Jared looks down at the drink in his hands. When he looks back up he seems to have decided something. "She was a free spirit. I miss her every day." His voice is soft as he says the last part and Jensen regrets bringing it up. 

There's an awkward silence. Except for the ends of the night, they've never had an awkward moment and now here they are.

"You know, I think I'm just going to hit the can. I'll be right back," Jared says before he gets up. He barely waits for Jensen to acknowledge him before he's gone.

Jensen doesn't even have time to feel guilty before a new beer and a glass of soda appear on the table and Chris sits across from him in Jared's vacated chair. He's wearing that same disapproving face from the night before.

"Uh - thank you, for the beer, I mean," Jensen says cautiously.

"Okay, look, son, Jay's going to be back in a few and I don't want to waste time with pleasantries."

Jensen frowns but says, "Okay."

"There've been a few of you 'researchers' comin' here looking to talk to Jay, but he's never bothered with them. I don't know what makes you different; I hope he ain't foolishly putting his trust in you," Chris says.

Jensen shakes his head. "I know how to write professionally and objectively. I'm not looking to burn anyone."

Chris narrows his eyes. "See you treat him right or I'll come to that fancy-ass college and kick your ass so hard you'll wish you were never born."

Jensen has this surreal moment where he feels this is the kind of talk a best friend or brother has with the new suitor. Part of him wishes that it was, but even if he wasn't here just to research Jared's psychic abilities, he'll be gone by the end of the weekend.

"What're you two talking about?" Jared's hand comes down on Chris' shoulder startling them both.

"Oh, Jensen was just telling me about his study," Chris says.

Jared frowns. "Yeah? Well, I think Sandy's looking for you." He gestures to the bar where indeed the cute brunette is casually watching them.

Chris smiles welcomingly at Sandy. Practically ignoring Jensen and Jared, he gets up and makes a beeline toward her. Jensen watches them for a second as Chris practically turns into a 12-year--old girl while Sandy twirls her hair around her finger and smiles at him.

When Jensen turns back, Jared is watching him with an indecipherable expression. "What?" Jensen asks.

Jared shakes his head. "We should probably wait to continue any shop talk until tomorrow."

Jensen nods. "Sure. Sounds good."

"You'll have the whole day to ask me any question," Jared smiles.

After a few awkward starts, they finally slip back into an easy conversation. The rest of the evening is like the whole conversation never happened. 

Jensen is nicely buzzed when Jared drives him back to the hotel and walks him to his room. Okay, Jensen may be slightly drunk and Jared finds it hilarious. Maybe because Jensen sang loud and badly along with first the jukebox and then the radio. Even when he didn't know the words.

Jensen gets his door open and almost trips into the room. With a laugh, he turns and comes face to face with Jared. Really. They are inches from each other. Jensen can feel Jared's breath on his face. Jared's ever-changing eyes are so intense, Jensen feels himself sober quickly.

Then just as suddenly as it began, the moment is over.

Jared takes a step back and pats Jensen on the shoulder. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay, Jen?"

Jensen feels the distance like the pain of a physical loss. "Oh. Yeah, of course. Tomorrow."

Jared gives him one last smile before leaving.

***

Jensen reserved some space at the library for his session with Jared on Thursday. He wanted a neutral space. Jared meets him at Zelda's for breakfast and they drive over together.

Once they are alone in the room and the door is shut, the whole atmosphere of easy friendship shifts into uncomfortable seriousness. With his pad and paper ready, Jensen turns on the recorder and states the time and date and who is present.

Jared fidgets in his chair, which is kind of endearing compared to how confident and easy-going Jared has been the rest of the week.

"Okay, so this is just us, right? Like we're having any other chat," Jensen says with a reassuring smile.

Jared nods. "Yeah, okay."

"'Let's start with your abilities. What exactly can you do?" Jensen asks. He's learned not to say, "What do you  _ think _ you can do?" That doesn't usually go over well.

"I'm a clairvoyant, but I don't see the future or the past. I just tap in to the present," Jared says.

"Like finding missing keys?" Jensen jokes.

Jared relaxes a little and smiles. "And remotes. Honestly, I've never really misplaced anything."

"Really?"

Jared shrugs. 

"But you were instrumental in solving the Missy Wheeler murder case, which is more serious than missing keys."

"Yeah, but that was purely an accident."

"An accident?"

"It's something that  _ happened _ to me, not something I actively pursued. Look, my mom and my grandmother, they embraced this whole clairvoyance thing. It seems to be a family thing going way back. But...really, it killed both of them."

"Killed them? What do you mean?"

"My grandmother had a stroke fairly young and my mother...well, you know she had an aneurism. It was right after she had a particularly powerful vision -- now  _ she _ could see the future, and I think that made it much harder on her."

"I see." Jensen frowns. Most of the psychics he's met flaunt their supposed abilities and none of them talk about consequences. Mostly they go on and on about their methods and successes. "But you  _ did _ have a vision regarding Missy?"

Jared sighs. "Yes. I was just there to give Mom a ride and while they were talking with the Suttons, I happened to be looking around, picking up stuff to look at, you know. Basically I was bored. Next thing I know I'm waking up from a bad dream with a killer migraine."

"What did you dream?"

Jared appears to think about that. Finally, he says, "Honestly, I don't think I can explain the dream other than to say it came in flashes and I just  _ knew _ things. I mean, it's not like when you wake up in the morning and you still have one of those lingering vivid dreams which gets messed up in your head and you think something happened even though it's impossible -- like being mad at someone for an argument you didn't actually have...This is more like...instant knowledge, only with a killer headache where it was forced in."

"Have you had other visions like that one?"

Jared chews on his bottom lip. "I knew the moment my mom died."

Jensen shivers as if he felt a cold hand trail down his spine. "You did?"

"Yeah. I wasn't in town but...it was a good thing Chris was driving. He says it's like I collapsed and when I came to, the first thing I said was 'she's gone.'."

Jared's sadness is palpable. Jensen immediately wants to change the topic but he also wants to talk about something Williams brought up.

"The Wheeler vision was your first really big one, but your mother was training you, wasn't she?" Jensen asks.

Jared nods. "Yeah, but she did the same thing with my brother and he's got no abilities at all. She just wanted us to be prepared."

"Why don't we go back to the Wheeler vision in particular and focus on that," Jensen suggests. "What do you remember about that day?"

Nothing Jared says contradicts what anyone else has. His version does talk about his surprise, his pain, Talia and Zelda caring for him. Those are his main focuses.

They take a break after a while and when they come back, Jensen asks him more questions about Missy Wheeler to see how much he knew about her back then, which apparently was not at all.

They have lunch at a nearby pizza place which helps to relax Jared. He seems emotionally wrung out from their morning.

After lunch, Jensen wants to test Jared with Zener Cards. He sets the deck of 25 cards on the table before him. He explains to Jared that there are 5 possible cards -- a hollow circle, a hollow square, 3 squiggly lines, a plus sign, and a hollow star. Jared just has to try to guess what's on each one when he holds it up.

Jared seems amused but agrees to play along.

They are half way through the deck when Jensen realizes Jared has gotten every single one wrong, which is a statistical improbability. In spite of that, he continues until they've gone through the entire deck. Jared got exactly 0 correct.

Jesen stares at Jared a few minutes trying to decide what he thinks is going on. Jared just looks back at him with an innocent expression.

"Did you do that on purpose?" Jensen asks.

"Do what?" Jared replies.

"Jay, most people get between 3 and 7 correct. You didn't get any. Were you purposely guessing wrong?"

"It's not a guess if you know not to choose it," Jared says simply.

Jensen feels like his head is about to explode at that revelation. "Let's do it again. This time, actually guess the card."

Jensen shuffles and they start again.

Jared gets 25 of 25. That is a 1 in 300 chance of happening.

So, they do it again. This time Jared gets every other one correct.

"Now you're just showing off," Jensen says excitedly.

Jared shrugs. "There's a reason no one lets me play poker around here."

Jensen sits back and stares at Jared. His heart is pounding a mile a minute. This is proof. Scientific, repeatable proof. They'd need to do more tests, of course. He'd have to call Professor Ferris to see if they can create a test set to see just how accurate Jared is…

Jared's phone goes off. He glances at the number and immediately answers. "Sheriff?" He listens for a minute. "Sure, I'll be right there. Yeah, I'll grab whoever I can on my way."

"What's going on?" Jensen asks, attention fully on Jared now.

Jared's standing from the table and shoving his phone back in his pocket. "Kid went missing out of his front yard two hours ago. Sheriff's putting together a search party. You want to come?"

Jensen quickly starts gathering his things. "I don't know the area but I can try to help."

Jared grins. "Great. They can use every able body."

***

Turns out, little Bobby Polk disappeared from the front yard of a 200 acre farm. There are tall wheat fields to the left and a dense forest to the right and corn in the back. It's a search party's nightmare. Jensen guesses there are about 50 people there of varying ages. One of the deputies is separating people into groups and handing out flashlights and whistles. There's an extra sense of urgency thanks to dark clouds rolling in from the North.

They've been directed to join a group of eight others. As they walk over, Jared trips over a tricycle and falls against the swingset.

Before Jensen knows what's going on, Jared's on the ground clutching his left leg and he's crying but it doesn't sound like an adult crying. More like a small child. Jensen squats down to see if Jared was okay but he quickly realizes Jared isn't seeing him. He's not seeing anyone. Jared's eyes are unfocused. Jensen feels the goosebumps rise on his arms and a chill seems to swirl around them.

By the time other people are surrounding them with words of concern, but Jensen's only focused on Jared. Jared's eyes come back mostly into focus as a pained grimace crosses his face. He cries out, an adult cry of anguish, as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Stand back! Everyone stand back!" Zelda is ordering as she pushes her way through the crowd and falls to her knees next to Jared. "Jay, sweetie, try to relax. Someone get him a cold soda and grab my purse." 

Before anyone can respond, Jared says, "No!" and cringes at the rough sound of his own voice. "No time...storm." He reaches for Jensen. "Help...help me up."

Jensen and another man help Jared to his feet only he can barely stand. Jensen can see the migraine written all over Jared's face. "Hey, careful," Jensen whispers. "Maybe you should go lay down."

"No. He's hurt. We have to go now," Jared insists and stumbles a little to the right.

"There's no use arguing with him," Zelda says tightly.

Jensen and the other man help hold Jared up as the three of them walk ahead of a small crowd following Jared's directions. Jared may stumble from time to time, but he never seems unsure of where he is going.

They are 30 minutes into the woods when they hear a little boy crying. People rush ahead as Jared lets himself be lowered to the ground. Sure enough just a few yards away is a ravine where they find six-year-old Bobby with a broken left leg. Just as they find them the drops of rain begin to fall.

Back at the farmhouse is chaos. There's an ambulance for Bobby, a crying mother, people rushing in and out of the downpour that is increasing intensity by the minute. Following Zelda's instructions, Jensen lays Jared down in a guestroom so she can get him to drink a cold soda and take some pain pills. Jensen waits until Jared is comfortably sleeping before he asks Zelda all of his questions.

"Is it always like that?" Jensen asks her.

She looks thoughtful. "Jay rarely has such intense episodes. I suspect the emotional energy must be surging when he does. Talia had much more control and a lot more practice...but, yes, it's always like this. He'll probably be out of it for a day or so."

"It takes that much of a toll on him? But he doesn't seem affected by little things."

"Little things?"

"Lost keys, guessing cards."

"Oh. Tiny little snapshots of a fraction in time. No, unless he's over-extending himself, I don't think it  _ would _ affect him."

Sheriff Rhodes sticks her head in the door. "Zelda, need some help getting Jay home?"

Zelda hums. "We won't be able to get him up the stairs to his apartment, but I got an extra bed for him, if someone can help me get him in and out of the car."

"I'll do it," Jensen says maybe a little too quickly. "I mean, I need a ride back to town anyway." 

So that's what they do.

***

Jensen is reluctant to contact Prof. Ferris about the results of Jared's Zener Test until he's had a chance to talk to Jared. He very much does want to set up more thorough testing too. Since Jared is still unconscious Friday morning, Jensen spends most of Friday compiling his notes from his session with Jared and his observations about the Bobby Polk incident.

That evening, he offers to take Jared some food from the diner. Dani happily lets him do her that favor. Jared has yet to resettle himself in his own apartment above the garage. So Jensen knocks on Zelda's brightly-colored door. 

When Jared opens the door, he looks both tired and happy to see Jensen. "Hey," Jared says weakly.

"Hey." Jensen holds up the container of soup. "I bring nourishment."

"Awesome." Jared steps back to let Jensen in and heads to the kitchen. "Bout time. I've been feeding you all week." He's wearing that mischievous look Jensen finds ridiculously adorable.

"Yeah, I guess I've been a little bit of a mooch, but everyone around here keeps feeding me. Y'all aren't secretly trying to fatten me up for some corn-god sacrifice, are you?"

Jared actually chuckles at that and doesn't wince so Jensen takes it as a win. "Yep, you figured us out." He sets two bowls and spoons out on the kitchen bar. "So, how're you doing?"

"Me? I'm fine. It's me who should be asking you how you're doing."

Jared shrugs. "I've felt worse, but it's better than last night."

"That's good. You had me worried."

"Oh, come on, Jen. I'm sure you've witnessed other psychics before." There's a hint of bitterness there that Jensen can't explain.

Jensen shakes his head. "I never saw anything like I saw yesterday. Hell, I've spent the whole week trying to figure you out, but the fact is. You really are the real deal,, aren't you?"

"Am I?"

"Yes! You saved that little boy yesterday. I had a front-row seat and I don't believe it was some sort of act. Not to mention the Zener cards. Jay, I've never heard of anyone repeatedly doing that well." Jensen couldn't hide the excitement in his voice.

"If you believe it, okay." Jared sat on a stool and poured soup into his bowl.

"Don't you believe it?"

"I don't have to believe, Jen. I'm just me. The same me I've always been. I don't have to prove anything."

"But isn't that why you agreed to be in this study? To prove you're psychic? Don't you want to know the full extent of your abilities? We could set up some testing at Duke-"

Jared stands again. "Jensen, I'm not a performing monkey and I'm certainly not going to be your lab rat."

Jensen is standing with his mouth open. He knows he is. It takes a lot of effort for him to force it closed while his brain catches up. "No, I didn't mean it like that."

"How did you mean it then?"

Jensen can't formulate a reasonable argument. So, instead he returns to a previous one. "Why would you agree to be part of this study if you weren't interested in the possible results?"

Jared sighs deeply and takes a step into Jensen's personal space. "Because, Jensen…" Jared grabs the front of Jensen's t-shirt and pulls him into a forceful, passionate kiss. When they break apart, Jared lets go of a somewhat dazed Jensen's shirt. "I've waited almost six years for you to come."

With that Jared leaves Jensen standing there in Zelda's kitchen and heads up to the apartment above the garage. 

By the time Jensen's brain has caught up again, Jared is long gone. Jensen wipes a hand down his face and resists banging his head against the countertop. 

***

Jensen spends the rest of the night trying to figure out what exactly happened and what he missed. He goes over every little detail from the past week and, yeah, maybe he wasn't totally getting mixed signals from Jared. When he really things about it, they'd probably had three dates during the first part of the week.

What was it Chris said? Jensen was the only researcher Jared agreed to meet with. Why him? He wasn't even the one to contact Jared about the study.

Then he remembers something Jared said the first night they met. Jared's mother told him Jensen was coming. Jensen had just written it off. All of the times people talked about Talia being dead, it never occurred to him that the two were somehow connected or contradictory. How could Talia have known almost 6 years ago that Jensen would be coming?

He tosses and turns and paces all night. He wrestles with himself all the next day about what he understands, what he believes, and whether or not he can be okay believing without proving to other people why. If he leaves town without Jared, can he live with himself? And since Jared has no interest in helping with his studies, the next question is can he just be happy having Jared and not being able to share Jared's secret with anyone, particularly his colleagues?

Jensen avoids the diner and pretty much anyone he's met for the entire day.

***

Sunday, Jensen packs up his car. He has to be back at Duke in two days. He can't put it off any longer. However, before he leaves town, he has one stop to make.

When Jared answers his door, he looks much better than he had two days earlier. An expression of concern appears on his face. "Jensen? You okay?"

"Hey, yeah, I'm fine," Jensen says with an unsure smile.

"Really? 'Cuz you kind of look like shit," Jared says.

"Oh, yeah? It's a new look I'm going for. Death-warmed-over."

"Well, you're working it then," Jared says and steps back for Jensen to enter. "Come in."

"Thanks." Jensen enters the studio apartment and finds it surprisingly neat and a little bare for a 24 year-old batchelor. "Wow. Cozy."

"Thanks, but I'm sure you didn't come here for the atmosphere." There's teasing in his voice so Jensen thinks they must be okay.

"Uh, yeah…" Jensen nervously looks at his feet, the wall, anywhere but Jared. "I'm heading out today…"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, and I've been thinking...maybe I could come back to visit or, you know, you could come visit me...I mean if you want."

Jared's quiet so long, Jensen risks peeking at his face. And there are those damned dimples again. Jensen will never get over seeing those.

This time when they kiss, it starts soft, almost a caress, and ends passionate and hungry. The best kind.

Jared leans his forehead against Jensen's. "I've been wanting to get a close look at these freckles all week," he murmurs.

Jensen hates those freckles but in that moment, he's so grateful to have them. "Well, in the future you can have all the time you want to study them."

Jared smirks. "So, do we have time before we leave to make out a while or do we need to get on the road right away?"

"I think I can spend some time-- wait, what?" 

"There's no time like the present, Jen. I've waited a long time to find you. No way I'm going to let you go now."

"You're coming with me?" Jensen still couldn't believe his ears.

"You don't want me too?"

"No! I mean, yes, of course I want you to come. I'm just surprised is all. I mean, what will your family think?"

Jared shrugs. "That I'm happy."

Jensen felt his whole face heat up. "You think I make you happy?"

"So far. I can't predict the future, Jen. I only know what I feel now."

"Okay. Let's do it then." Jensen can't help the smile that feels permanently carved into his face.

"Okay. So, about the making out?"

Jensen nods. "Definite yes to making out first."

As Jared ushers him to the small sofa, Jensen notices the two suitcases by the door. He decides to ask about those later.


End file.
